Section 4: Managing Information

Unit 2: Managing Information

This is a typical scene in higher education: students in a lecture theatre, listening to the lecture – and writing notes.

However, why are they writing notes?

Are they writing notes because they feel they should – because everyone is doing it; or have they worked out a clear aim and purpose beforehand?

Are they taking or making notes? And what do they do with the notes afterwards?

This Unit is concerned with these questions.

Why take and make notes?

It can be argued that notes act as a form of summary or reinforcement of the main points of what you read, heard or saw.

They are also be used as a record of where information came from (for referencing purposes).

They can also remind you of other things you should do to continue learning, e.g. sources to check out; action to take.

They can also be seen as useful for revision purposes, particularly in preparation for exams.

But do notes help you learn more effectively?

There is some evidence that writing and keeping notes can help you recall what you have learned, particularly if you discuss your notes with another person.

However, to be most effective notes must be well-organised and reviewed afterwards.

Notes can help you to concentrate on the lecture or your reading; the note writing process can help you overcome distraction and can encourage you to become a more active, rather than a passive, learner.

Research attention has turned in recent years to what types of notes are most effective in aiding recall. In particular, attention has been drawn to the difference between Taking notes and Making notes, and the difference this can make to the quality of learning.

So what’s the difference between note-taking and note-making?

Note-making happens when you review notes taken to organise and connect data, information and ideas.

Note-making has the potential to become a more creative experience, as you can experiment with note making styles to see which work best for you; why write dull notes, when they can be interesting to look at?

What are the most effective ways of making notes?

Before you read our comments, how do you currently make or take notes? Write in the space below.

Is there a ‘best’ way to take notes?

There is no one best or effective way of taking or making notes, although each method has its champions and advocates. The ‘best’ method is the one that works best for you.

Essentially, note taking styles fall into three main types:

1. Linear Notes
2. Visual or Pattern Notes
3. Voice Notes

However, there is no reason why visual elements cannot be integrated into linear notes. Making notes is a study technique that is open to new, creative and imaginative approaches.

Linear notes are those that summarise, using sentences, half-sentences or abbreviations, the main points heard or read. To be most effective, there needs to be two levels of engagement with linear notes:

Example of Linear Note Taking/Making

This is an approach that combines note taking and making, and is particularly useful for making notes from reading.

In the right hand column of the example that follows the main points from the reading are recorded. In the left hand column, you can then highlight any key words or ideas raised, and you can add a summary or comment at the bottom.

This converts a passive process into something more active, and into note making. It is important to take careful note of the source for referencing purposes in assignments.

Source:
Farrand, P., Hussaain, F. and Hennessy, E. (2002). The Efficacy of the Mind Map Technique. Medical Education, May, vol. 36, p.426.
Topic & key words/issues
Topic: Does Mind-Mapping work?
What other methods used?
Had they some or all seen it before
Why?
Key points / Main points:
A test involving two groups of 2nd & 3rd yr. medical students, 50 in total, to see if ‘Mind-mapping’ note-taking study technique improved memory of something read.
Two groups – one used mind-mapping technique for notes; the other groups used other methods of note making; students randomly assigned to groups. Individuals in both groups asked to read a 600 word passage of text & take notes on it.
After an ‘interfering task’, groups tested on their recall of the text the same day, and again a week later.
No difference in result in short term.
However, at 1 week, the recall of detail in the mind map group was greater by 10%.
However motivation for the technique used was lower in the mind map group; if motivation could have been made equal in the groups, the improvement with mind mapping would have been 15% (95% CI 3% to 27%).
Comments/Summary
Some resistance to mind-mapping in the group – why? What didn’t they like about it? Was resistance a reaction to the experiment or to the MM technique, or both? They were all medical students, was this a factor in the resistance? Don’t force this technique on people – doesn’t work for everyone. What other experiments done on MM techniques?

Other Examples of Linear Note Making Include:

Photocopying sections of a book or journal articles and highlighting key sections and adding comments of your own, or writing key words in margins. File these alphabetically by author, as this makes compiling your list of references much easier.

Writing on ready-punch file paper. These can be moved easily around in a lever arched file. Write one major point on a different sheet and file them alphabetically by author, for same reasons as above.

Cards record system (filed by subject or author)

Linear Notes and Lectures

Lecturers will often make PowerPoint notes available before the lecture. The notes supplied are usually ‘skeleton’ outlines of the topic and you are usually expected to add to them as the lecture progresses, and space is usually provided on the notes for this purpose.

In the example that follows, the notes on the left are those supplied by the tutor, and the student adds his or her own comments in the blank spaces on the left of the PowerPoint notes, as shown.

Des. Wr. = usually features in background/context part of an assignment
S/W = best to use own words; not copy; keep copying of quotes to a min.
C and E = fishbone technique good for this?
CA = the 5W and 1H approach suggested
‘Critical’ = can mean agreeing too;
Use what/why/when/who/how questions
Seeing both sides of argument – but making own mind up ; about using evidence = referencing (Harvard)
Evid. – nds to be reliable; take care with www sites
What’s Cred. Evid ? =
* peer reviewed; * empirical studies * credibility in subject * neutral, cred. est. source

Review your lecture notes

At the end of a lecture it is important to review your own notes to make sure you understand them! It can be particularly useful to review notes with at least one other person to compare your comments with theirs and to make sure you did not miss anything.

If you don’t have any tutor lecture notes, you could use a ‘note and review’ approach, which uses two or three sides of A4 paper.

Notes

On the first one or two pages you note what you hear in the lecture (note-taking).

Later, you go over the notes and summarise in your own words what the main points were, add comments of your own and list follow-up tasks (note-making).

Visual notes have been used for centuries for problem solving, particularly in science and engineering. Ideas are presented in a visual, connected way to show linkages and relationships between elements.

In the last two decades the idea has captured the attention of trainers and educationalists, largely due to the work of psychologist/author, Tony Buzan, who coined the term ‘Mind-mapping’.

Essentially, the idea involves drawing or building a diagram that illustrates free-association or ‘brain-storming’ approaches to thinking.

Mind Maps

The map involves a combination of words and images, and Buzan encourages the use of at least three colours, symbols, and codes to highlight or represent ideas.

The basic approach to producing a mind map is to start in the centre of the page with a key word representing a concept.

From this key word a central line radiates out, linked to another word associated with the starting concept word. From this central line, thinner lines send out radial shoots. Each radial is connected to an off-shoot idea. You can then build up a root-system picture of your thoughts and responses linked to the central idea or concept.

(Wikipedia 2006)

Buzan argues that the approach works best if people relax and let their minds go free and be unrestrained by conventional thinking. He argues it encourages creative approaches to thinking and problem solving, as one thought sparks off another.

Mind-mapping is claimed to be effective in helping people to visualise, structure and classify ideas.

The Buzan approach to making notes is likely to appeal to people who like to work visually and who enjoy the free-association of ideas.

Mind-mapping can also be a useful approach to exam revision, as the process can reveal what you know about a subject, and, perhaps more importantly, what you don’t know – and therefore need to learn.

Concept Maps

At first glance, Mind Maps and Concept Maps (CMaps) appear to be very similar.

However, the essential difference is that a mind map has one central concept, from which ideas flow, whereas a CMap is a network of linked concepts.

(CMaps 2009)

Concept Maps are particularly useful to seek answers to a particular question, called a focus question. So the focus question in the example shown is, ‘what are concept maps?’ The primary question is usually at the top of the page and cross links added between other concepts, with bridging words, e.g. Concept Maps-help to answer-Focus questions, which connect on to other concepts, and so on.

The advantages of Concept Maps

The main advantages of CMaps appear to be in helping students to identify and link key concepts by organising and analysing information.

You can build CMap from software that can be downloaded free from the Internet: available at

However, this software is not essential, as you can produce hand-drawn versions, which can serve the same purpose of helping you connect reading done on a particular topic; see the example below.

(Note the focus question below at the start: ‘Where does your food come from?”)

(Wikipedia 2006)

Fishbone Diagrams

Fishbone diagrams, or ‘Ishikawa diagrams’, named after Professor Kaoru Ishikawa, the originator, to identify and illustrate cause and effect issues in any situation.

The problem is identified (tip of arrow) and ‘side bones’ are added, as appropriate, to build up a structure perceived to be contributing to the ‘effect’.

Example

These diagrams are now used regularly in quality management and are particularly useful for group analysis and discussion of a problem.

However, they are also useful as an individual form of note making, especially if you need to build a note picture of a cause and effect situation in preparation for writing an assignment or tackling an exam question.

Using Word Graphics to Create Pattern Notes

You can use the diagram gallery on Microsoft Word to create pattern notes. Go to ‘Insert’ on Word and click onto to ‘Diagram’ to select suitable pattern notes.

Examples:

You can add as many boxes, circles or arrows as necessary.

Using a voice-recorder/Dictaphone to summarise the key ideas verbally can work well for some students, as it can help them to concentrate on reading and to summarise in their own words what they have read.

The process of summarising what you have read, heard or seen into your own words can, therefore, help you to focus on the main points and select the right words to express a particular idea.

Listening to your own voice summarising notes you have made in your own words is a powerful aid to memory and can be a particularly effective tool for revision.

The tapes can also be replayed in many situations away from the library or allocated reading areas, e.g. listen while you exercise, drive or travel on public transport.

Other aids to note taking and making

Example:

Creative thinking in business can be advanced using a five-step approach. These five key things are summarised by the mnemonic: FARCE.

F / A / R / C / E
Four-way thinking:
The way to break out of rigid thinking is to look at the problem from four different directions (front to back; back to front; bottom up; & top down. / Alternatives:
Always look for alternatives to the ‘obvious’ solution. If you stop looking, after finding one answer that seems to fit the problem, you may miss a much better solution. So, brainstorm a problem to try and find at least four alternative approaches to solving it. / Re-combine:
Once you have a range of alternatives, you can then try and combine these to get a number of creative solutions to a problem. / Choose & consequences:
From these combined ideas, what is the best one? And what would be the consequence of choosing it? / Effect:
Then you have to try it! You put the idea into effect, otherwise all your hard work will be wasted.

End of Unit 2

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